


Just a Pinch of Christmas Cheer

by mycinnamonapple



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alcohol Poisoning, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Bisexual Richie Tozier, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Eggnog, Emergency room, First Meetings, Fluff, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, High School, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sonia Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, Teenage Losers Club (IT), Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28577685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mycinnamonapple/pseuds/mycinnamonapple
Summary: Eddie Kaspbrak had never been much of a Christmas fan. Between his despicable helicopter of a parent and his beyond annoying bunch of aunts, he only ever wished for the holiday to end as quickly as possible. Until the Christmas Eve of 2019 changed his entire outlook on the most magical time of the year, or so Richie Tozier would put it.OR, Richie and Eddie meet in the ER on Christmas Eve.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Just a Pinch of Christmas Cheer

**Author's Note:**

> I haven’t written in so long so I’m sorry if it's garbage! Also, it’s only based in 2019 because that was the last Christmas before bitch ass Covid hit. I imagine they’re about 17/18 in this, or seniors in high school.

“Eddie, if you don’t come with me, you know all of your aunts are going to be very disappointed in you.”

Eddie couldn’t help but to roll his eyes. The shrill sound of Sonia Kaspbrak’s pleading voice was enough to make Eddie want to puncture his own eardrums. He always hated when his mother acted like this, just so he’d give in and do whatever she wanted him to. But this year, after a very stern and long lecture from his two exasperated best friends Stan and Bill, he had put his foot down as best as he could. Sonia was still insufferable, but a fraction less so, if only because Eddie more or less left and came back home whenever he pleased nowadays. Still, he wasn’t a total disrespectful little asshole, and part of him still wanted to please his mommy.

“I know, Ma. It’s just that we do the same thing every year, and they only ever get me socks and maybe a new shirt that I’ll likely never wear,” he said, trying to minimize the annoyance in his voice. She was already almost out the door, having grudgingly agreed to letting Eddie spend Christmas with Stan and Bill, but only because he’d bitched and moaned for days and even threatened to leave the house and live in his own apartment. It was an empty threat, of course, but it had gotten the job done. He just needed to get her to shut the hell up for three more seconds so he could shut the door in her big, round face.

“I don’t know about this, Eddie-Bear. Christmas is meant to be spent with family. That Jewish friend of yours doesn’t even celebrate Christmas, does he?” She asked.

It was only after 5 more minutes of miniscule arguing that she finally got into her old and ugly station wagon and drove away that Eddie was finally able to relax. Finally, for once in his life, he’d get to enjoy the Christmas holiday. 

-

“You know, normally people put obscene amounts of alcohol in their egg nog, otherwise what’s the point?” Stan asked, leaning against the marble countertop of the kitchen island. Stan had really grown up over the last summer. He was tall, surprisingly fit, and his sense of style had matured greatly. Eddie still thought he could use some more colors and fun patterns, but overall, he’d grown into quite the handsome young man, or so his mom put it. 

Bill chuckled lightly. Eddie, though he’d never admit it out loud, still had quite the crush on Big Bill. Well, maybe it was less so a crush and more so hero worship still, but Bill had also filled out over the summer, and though he’s always been handsome, now he attracted girls like bees to honey. 

“It’s not like we’re not adding any alcohol, Stan. Come on, Eddie’s house is finally empty and you think we’re gonna spend the day before Christmas sober? I don’t think so,” Bill replied, a smug smirk plastered on his handsome face. His stutter had more or less disappeared over the years. It still came back when he was either really nervous, or really angry. But it was rare to see Big Bill either way. 

Eddie shook his head. “I’m not spending Christmas day drunk off my ass. I don’t need to give Stan’s dad any more reason to hate me.”

Bill and Eddie laughed, but Stan stood with his eyebrow raised and his mouth in a tight line. It was well known that Eddie was gay, how could any of the assholes at school let him forget it? But Stan’s dad wasn’t aware of his own son's sexuality, and although news travels fast in Derry, Stan wanted to keep it that way. 

“Spend Christmas day at the Jewish kids house. Sounds like a great idea, Eddie. Why don’t we kick Easter off early while we’re at it? Maybe we can take my whole family to church when all’s said and done,” Stan snarked, rolling his eyes. 

Eddie groaned. “Jesus, Stan, and I thought I was a Grinch.”

Bill just laughed at both of them. The egg nog was finished, and though none of them were really looking forward to drinking it, being drunk on Christmas Eve was a must. 

“If I chug all of it at once, you think I’ll get too fucked up?” Bill asked, eyeing his egg nog warily. 

Eddie grimaced. “Why don’t we just take shots like normal people?”

“Because where’s the Christmas spirit in that, Eddie?” Stan said, sarcasm practically oozing out of his mouth as he took a long swig of his drink. 

Soon enough, the egg nog was kicking in, and in true teenage fashion, they began to take shots as well. It was well known that Eddie was the lightweight of the group, thanks to his relatively short stature, but Stan and Bill were just as drunk as he was. 

“Hey guys, I don’t feel so good,” Eddie complained, clutching his stomach as he laid on the kitchen floor. His eyes were squeezed shut tightly, his ugly Christmas sweater having long been shed. 

The boys giggled loudly. The music playing from Bill's speaker was too loud and was making Eddie’s head pound furiously. He was starting to see black spots in his vision, the nausea kicking in quickly. In his head he worried he was going to pass out, but it was too hard to concentrate on anything. Faintly he could hear Stan and Bill talking, but he couldn’t make anything out. 

“Guysssss,” he complained again. Opening his mouth seemed to be a bad idea, because soon he was blowing chunks all over his kitchen floor. His shirt was soaked with sweat and vomit. Eddie could hardly think straight but he knew he felt a cool hand on the back of his neck. 

He could faintly hear someone trying to soothe him. Stan, maybe? It was too hard to focus. It felt like he’d been laying on that floor for days when he finally realized someone had put a towel under his head. He could barely open his eyes but at least he’d started to regain consciousness. 

“...to the hospital, maybe? Fuck, I don’t know,” a voice was saying. Eddie was pretty sure it was Bill, and he sounded worried. He still wasn’t quite aware of what was going on around him, but the feeling of throwing up again left his throat feeling raw and his stomach aching horribly. 

“Stan?” he slurred quietly. He still couldn’t get himself to open his eyes and by now he was well aware of the pounding in his head. “Something’s really wrong,” he cried. 

He could hear Stans quiet chuckle and then a big hand in his hair. It felt nice. “Yeah, no shit, dumbass. You’ve been throwing up for like 20 minutes already. Bill is calling Mike from school because we think we need to take you to the hospital.”

Eddie grimaced. “Not so loud, please,” he pleaded. It was hard to digest any of what Stan just said, but he made out words like “Mike from school” and “hospital.” Eddie groaned at the thought. 

“I know, Eddie, but this isn’t normal, and you’re starting to freak us out,” Stan replied. He must have sensed Eddie’s discomfort about being taken to the hospital. He’d never quite outgrown his intense germaphobe phase, though it had toned down over the years. 

“Gonna get in trouble,” Eddie slurred, but Stan ignored him as Bill walked back into the room.

“Mike is a couple of minutes away. He said it’s a good thing we’re taking him to the hospital. Mike suspects alcohol poisoning,” Bill sighed as he came to kneel next to Eddie. “How ya feeling, buddy?” He snorted. Poisoned or not, Eddie could still hear the condescending tone. 

Eddie groaned again. “Do you guys always talk this loud? Jesus.”

Stan scoffed. “You’re one to talk. Come on, sit up and drink some water. I think I hear Mike’s truck down the road.”

Soon enough, they were pulling up to the hospital's ER doors. Eddie bitched the entire time about his headache and they had to stop once for him to stick his head out the door and throw up all over the road. Stan and Bill seemed to have sobered up quickly, or maybe Eddie had just lost all sense of time. Mike was as nice as ever, and Eddie tried to thank him as Stan and Bill helped him out of the truck. 

“Why are we here?” Eddie slurred. 

Stan scoffed for what felt like the millionth time that night. “Because you’re a lightweight.”

The nurse who’d checked him into the ER was nice enough. She was pretty and looked young, but she seemed to know what she was doing as she stuck the IV into Eddie’s arm. Eddie could hardly comprehend what was going on around him. He wondered briefly how he was checked in, whether someone had already called his mom, and where his friends were. 

“Where’d they go?” He asked the nurse quietly. She worked quickly but efficiently. 

“Who, your friends? I sent them to the waiting area. Tell me, kiddo, how much did you have to drink tonight?”

She was pretty, Eddie thought. Her feminine voice was a nice change from Stan and Bills deep ones. Eddie thought for a moment. “Too much,” he replied, closing his eyes as he heard the nurse laugh gently. He opened his eyes again, this time alarmed. “Are you gonna call the cops?”

The nurse laughed harder this time as she stuck a soft hand in Eddie’s hair and ruffled gently. “No, and we’re not going to call your mom, either. You’re 18, aren’t you? I think you’ve learned your lesson. You look like hell.”

Eddie smiled softly at that. “I feel like hell.”

“You’ll probably have to wait a while for the doctor, but I’m willing to bet he’s just gonna say you have alcohol poisoning, order some IV fluids, and then send you on your way eventually. It’s Christmas Eve, do you realize that?” The nurse asked as she took her latex gloves off after cleaning up her work space. 

Eddie nodded. “Ma’s out of town with my aunts for once. Christmas is the most miserable time of the year.”

The nurse raised an eyebrow at him and looked around. “Your roommate to the right here would beg to differ. He’s really upset about being here right now.” She moved to the side to open the curtain just a bit to stick her head through. Eddie, nosey as ever, used all his brainpower to listen in to what she was saying. 

“Hey, kiddo, the kid I got in here seems to be a real Grinch. Maybe you two can talk while you wait in here, huh?”

The voice that replied was deep, cocky, and flirty. Eddie rolled his eyes, seeming on instinct. “Sure thing, Lauren. Hey, by the way, your skin looks great with those blue scrubs.”

Eddie watched Lauren shake her head and roll her eyes as she turned around to face him. “This is Richie, he’s a real motormouth.” Eddie heard the faint “Hey!” as Lauren yanked the curtain back.

The boy revealed was not at all what Eddie was expecting. First, he noticed his legs. Long, pale, and hairy as they stretched across the white hospital sheets. His feet were nearly hanging off the edge. 

“You two have fun,” Lauren smirked, picking up her pen from Eddie’s bed as she walked away. 

Eddie scowled and tried his best to look anywhere but the boy. He hadn’t even made it above the ugly hospital gown he was wearing. He could just barely make out dark, wild hair from his peripheral vision. 

“So, what’re ya in for?” Richie asked. Eddie could practically hear the smirk in his voice. 

Finally, Eddie turned to face him and nearly had the breath knocked out of him. Richie was beautiful. Dark, wild curly hair and thin tortoise shaped glasses with thick lenses sat on his nose. His lips were perfectly full and pink, and Eddie could just barely make out dark freckles across the bridge of his nose. Jesus, Eddie thought, he must be tall. Along with his long legs were long, skinny arms and a long, skinny torso. If Eddie thought Stan was skinny, Richie could certainly give him a run for his money. 

Eddie was still pretty out of it, and he must have been staring, because Richie smirked and raised a dark eyebrow. “Like what ya see? If I knew where my phone was, I would have let you take a pic for yourself.”

Eddie scoffed, a habit he most certainly picked up from Stan, and shook his head. “Please lower your voice. It’s loud and I don’t like it.”

Richie laughed, his smile as attractive as the rest of him. “I’m guessing alcohol poisoning? Happened to me once, but I didn’t come to the hospital for it. Hey, did she give ya anything for the pain?”

Eddie groaned at Richies volume. The ER looked relatively quiet, though Eddie knew he shouldn’t say that out loud. “You’re still talking very loudly. I guess, I don’t know, I can’t really focus right now.”

Richie laughed loudly. “Oh, you’re fucked up, aren’t you? I learned my lesson with drinking. Weeds a whole different story though.” He smirked at Eddie and then raised his right arm in the air, showing him the big white bandage wrapped around. “Fell in the yard and cut my entire arm on the fence. It was bleeding a fuck ton, but I couldn’t feel any of it. Sweet Lauren over there fixed me up real nicely.”

Eddie grimaced at the thought. He didn’t even want to think about how deep or long that cut was, or what sort of germs had entered his body thanks to the dirty fence. “That’s really gross. Please shut up now.”

Richie kept talking though, but Eddie found that the more he talked, the more he liked the boy. Lauren was right, he was a motormouth, but he eventually seemed to take pity on Eddie’s headache, because he stopped talking without Eddie even realizing it. 

Eddie scrunched his eyebrows together. “I hate Christmas,” he said, mostly just because he sort of missed the sound of Richies voice. He looked over at him and could feel himself blush. Jesus, Richie really was attractive. 

Richie smiled softly. “So I’ve heard. It’s my favorite holiday. I’m really bummed about being in here right now. Hey, wait, I never even got your name.”

Eddie closed his and smiled gently. “It’s Eddie.”

Richie smiled back. “Eddie. Cute. I like it. So, Eddie, why don’t you like Christmas?”

Eddie sighed as he thought about his mother. She was probably cozied up at his aunts right now, drinking bad wine and eating too many slices of pie. “Because my mother is the Wicked Witch of the West and I hate her.”

Richie grimaced. “Yikes. Let’s stop talking about it, you’ll ruin my Christmas cheer.”

Eddie giggled quietly as he looked at Richie again. He was starting to feel a little better, though his head was still pounding and he wanted nothing more than to just go home and fall asleep in his bed. It must have shown on his face. 

“Why don’t you go to sleep, Eds? I’ll yell at you if the doc comes by. I’ll even throw my shoe at you if I have to.”

Eddie chuckled and closed his eyes. “Think you can keep your trap shut for 15 minutes?”

It was Richie's turn to scoff. “Just go to sleep, asshole.” But he could hear the smile in his voice, and Eddie felt bubbly inside as he drifted off into sleep. 

Eddie ended up sleeping for what felt like ages. He woke up groggy and unaware of his surroundings. After adjusting, he noticed Stan and Bill standing at the edge of his bed, snug smirks on their faces. 

“Doc says you’re in the clear,” Bill announces. He was holding a clipboard with a myriad of boring looking papers and a pen in his hand. “Have fun with this paperwork. Hopefully you have your social security memorized.” He and Stan laughed and stated they were going to wait for him in the waiting area while Eddie was discharged. 

He sat up and realized that Richie was sitting in the bed next to him anymore. He looked around but didn’t spot him anywhere. Eddie deflated and groggily filled out all of the paperwork. Soon enough, Lauren was back with a soft look on her face. 

“Feeling alright?” She asked. Eddie simply nodded. “Great, well, you’re pretty much set to go. I’ll grab your things and getcha checked out.”

Eddie didn’t remember bringing anything with him, and he certainly didn’t remember having the IV in his arm removed. He really did feel better. “What time is it?”

Lauren glanced at her watch and then smiled softly. “Just past 3. Merry Christmas, Eddie. Oh, by the way, a little someone asked me to give this to you when you woke up.” She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Eddie, smiling brightly before she took off. 

“Merry Christmas,” Eddie replied, a beat too late. He sat up fully and unfolded the paper. He scoffed at what was written, but he couldn’t help the blush on his cheeks. 

e-

merry christmas grinch!! you look really cute passed out like that. text me n maybe we can hang out :)

(207)555-0123

-r (ER LMAO, get it?? eddie n richie?? ER? emergency room??? whatever)

Eddie left the ER feeling better than ever with a sweet smile on his face, Richie’s phone number already in his contacts, and a plan for what he was gonna wear when they hung out.


End file.
